The Phoenix Suns‘ offseason saga with Bradley Beal has been a critical point in dictating their approach to their roster construction project. With Kevin Durant’s departure to the Houston Rockets ushering in massive changes to the team, the Suns have viewed Beal’s contract as the next target to offload.
Beal is currently the most expensive player on Phoenix’s payroll. With a $53.6 million cap hit this season, the Suns have already found themselves deep into the luxury tax territory, having crossed the second luxury tax apron.
Given the situation they are in, the organization is having a difficult time facilitating any trades, primarily due to restrictions on aggregating players in negotiations. But the additional problems arising from Beal’s no-trade clause have forced the Suns to pursue potential buyout options to clear cap space for the foreseeable future.
To facilitate the buyout, Suns insider Gerald Bourguet presented an interesting strategy that could benefit Phoenix. While sharing the details on X, he tweeted:
“With a Bradley Beal buyout being imminent, per a source, I’m anticipating he gives up $13.9M of his remaining $110.8M, which would then clear the way for the Suns to waive-and-stretch the resulting $96.9M over 5 years and duck both tax aprons.”
By sacrificing the required amount, Beal would effectively give the Suns enough leeway to stretch his contract over the next five years. A deal of this nature would see him earn approximately $19.3 million each season while being on the Suns’ payroll.
This approach would be incredibly beneficial for Phoenix. At $19.3 million, Beal’s cap hit for this season is reduced by approximately $34.3 million. This would effectively help the team duck the first apron, while also giving them a little bit of room to play with to sign a new player.
A contract buyout appears to be the only viable option at this stage, especially considering that there is very little trade interest for Beal in the market. With significant players such as Damian Lillard also entering free agency after completing buyout discussions with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns could benefit from following a similar game plan.
Last season, the guard notched an average of 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. While not terrible, these numbers fall short of the mark for a player earning upwards of $50 million each season.
At this juncture, the 3x All-Star has also been charting out his future in the NBA. While exploring opportunities with other teams in the league, Beal could find himself headed to many potential destinations. The Los Angeles Clippers have been viewed as the most likely landing spot once Beal clears waivers.
